


I Believe in the Boogeyman

by CupcakeCutie124



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: F/M, Female Reader, Possible Romance, Post-Rise of the Guardians, adult reader, but who knows
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-02-18 22:13:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13109559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CupcakeCutie124/pseuds/CupcakeCutie124
Summary: It's been several weeks since Pitch Black's defeat, and everything has been great.Until Pitch finds you, his first believer.This interests him, and he continues to visit you, earning the attention of the Guardians.You soon find yourself caught in the middle, and must decide whether to trust your childhood fables, or give in to your nightmares.So.Doyoubelieve in the Boogeyman?





	1. His First Believer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Only a few weeks after his defeat, Pitch still feels the power of a believer. Determined to find where it's coming from, he finds you.

You were always a child at heart, believing in things like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman; even Jack Frost after some kids started spreading news about him. You still believed in all these things…even though you were no longer a child. You were twenty two, in fact. Your friends made fun of you for it, but you ignored them. You knew they were real.

You never believed in anything silly like the Boogeyman, of course. At least, you didn’t use to. There was a short span of time where you had almost given up all hope on your childhood beliefs. During that time you were struck with nightmares nightly. Terrible, horrible nightmares. You didn’t usually have those. In fact, before then, the last time you had a nightmare was when you were still a young child, and even then they were scarce.

It was then you decided that if good things like Santa and the Sandman could exist, then why couldn’t the bad things, like the Boogeyman? Ever since then you’ve been getting nightmares more and more frequently. In them, you always see a tall pale figure cloaked in shadow, two yellow eyes piercing from the dark. He never does anything, just watches you, smirking and laughing at your fear. You knew this was the Boogeyman.

And he frightened you.

 

Pitch had expected to feel completely forgotten after his plan was ruined. But to his surprise, he still felt the power of a believer. Even weeks after the disaster happened, the feeling didn’t go away. Determined to find out who could possibly still believe in him, he began his search. With his nightmare sand safely back under his control, he sent them out in search of his believer while he searched for himself.

It was difficult, not having something like the globe to pinpoint where all the believers were. But eventually, one night while he was out, he passed by a sleeping girl’s window and heard groans. He paused for a moment before looking through her window. He could see her tossing and turning restlessly. He smirked. She was having a nightmare. Curious as to the contents of this girls dream, he carefully opened her window before entering. As he approached her bed he looked down at her before he reached his hand out and gently touched her forehead, entering the girl’s nightmare.

 

You blinked open your eyes and looked around. It was very dark. You grabbed your arms as you began walking forward, unsure as to where you were going. Suddenly as you took another step forward, you began to fall. You screamed, reaching for something to grab onto. You landed with a grunt and looked around. You stopped when you saw two piercing yellow eyes looking straight at you. Your eyes widened as you stood up and warily made your way towards the figure. You looked up at it as you neared. It stared back down at you, and in the darkness you heard a dark chuckle as you saw a bright Cheshire grin appear. You shivered. “The Boogeyman…” You whispered.

The smile suddenly disappeared, and the yellow eyes seemed to widen. The figure took a step towards you, which you then took several back. The figure glared down at your cowering frame for a few moments before merely vanishing. You looked around, but saw nothing.

 

Pitch took several steps away from your sleeping body. “She knows who I am.” He whispered. “She said my name.” Pitch looked at you for a moment before a smirk appeared on his face. “I have a believer.” He said slowly. He watched you for a while longer before chuckling. “Interesting.” He murmured as he made for the window. Pitch laughed as he gave you one more look over. “I believe I shall visit you again.”

 

Sandman hovered through your hometown on a cloud of dream sand, looking over the sleeping children before getting ready to send some sand their way. As he scanned the buildings, however, he noticed a black silhouette sneak out of a window. Curious, he floated closer without alerting the other being of his presence. As he neared, his eyes widened when he recognized the figure of Pitch Black. Sandy hurriedly rushed backwards away from the other. He watched as Pitch disappeared into the shadows. After a moment to make sure he was really gone, Sandy warily approached the window he had once been at and looked in. He silently gasped when he saw the figure of a girl lying in a bed. Sandy furrowed his brow. _What was he doing in there?_ The Guardian of Dreams slowly backed away from the window. When he was far enough away, he bit his lip while looking down worriedly at the street below. After a moment he began delivering his dream sand. As soon as he was finished, he turned his sand cloud into a plane and rushed for the North Pole.

 

North was humming to himself in his office as he chipped away at a block of ice. He grabbed his mini pickaxe and began shaping it into a little plane. He held the object between his fingers and smiled as he inspected it. He was about to go back to work on it when he heard a knock on his door. He sighed before turning to the door. “Yes, yes, come in.” He called.

As the door opened, he was surprised to see the small Guardian of Dreams approach him and not a large yeti. North gave his friend a large grin and placed the plane gently on his desk. “Ah, Sandy, old friend!” He greeted him. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” His smile turned to a frown when he noticed the Sandman wasn’t smiling. “Sandy, what is wrong?” He asked.

Sandy created an image of buildings out of his sand above his head, and between them he made the silhouette of Pitch.

North’s eyes widened and he took several steps towards Sandy. “Pitch Black? You saw him?” When the smaller Guardian nodded, the larger man ran his hand through his beard worriedly. “This is bad.” He muttered. “Very bad.”

Sandy made the image of the Northern Lights.

North nodded. “Yes. The others must know. Come.” He began to exit his office, and the Sandman followed.

 

Sandman stood beside North in the front of the workshop anxiously as the rest of the Guardians filed in.

Tooth flew in from a window, several of her fairies, including Baby Tooth, behind her. She gave both Sandy and North a smile as she sat and waited for the other two.

Bunny came in soon behind, hopping in from the entrance, complaining about the cold as normal. “I can’t bloody stand this place.” He muttered as he made his way over to the fire place.

Jack came in not long after, the wind carrying him past the globe and towards the others. As he landed he gave a nod to everyone before sitting on a counter.

Once everyone got settled, North turned to them, a solemn look on his face. “I have very bad news.” He started. The large man turned to Sandy. “Sandy tells me he has seen Pitch.”

The three Guardians’ eyes widened.

“What!?” Jack exclaimed, standing up.

“Sandy, are you sure?” Tooth asked as her fairies fluttered around her worriedly.

The Guardian nodded.

“Where?!” Jack demanded.

Sandy made images of buildings.

“Yeah that’s not really helpful.”

Sandy ignored Jack’s comment and made an image of a window. Inside was a sleeping girl. Outside was Pitch.

Tooth gasped. “He was watching a girl?” She exclaimed.

When Sandy nodded, the rest of the Guardians looked to each other.

“Can you take us there?” Jack asked. “We have to see if she’s ok.”

Sandy nodded, but as they all readied to leave, he turned to them. He made an image of a child and crossed that out, then an image of an adult, and placed a check mark beside it.

Everyone was silent.

“The girl…is an adult?” Tooth asked quietly.

Sandy nodded again.

“Why in the bloody world would he be interested in an adult?” Bunny questioned.

Sandy shrugged and created a question mark above his head.

“We still have to check on her.” Jack stated. “If Pitch is interested in her, then maybe we should be too.”

“I agree.” Tooth said. “She may not be a child, but she could still be in danger.”

North nodded. “Yes. Anything concerning Pitch is worth investigating.”

Bunny just mumbled under his breath as everyone began heading towards the sleigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I only recently watched the Rise of the Guardians move and fell in LOVE with it, so with Christmas around the corner I decided to take a break from my usual stories and start a new series. Don't worry, my other ones will still be in progress, I've just been working on this for a while. Hope you guys like it!


	2. Sandman the Protector

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sandman is given the job of watching over you to make sure Pitch doesn't return. During this time, Sandy finds himself becoming protective of you.  
> Pitch isn't happy of this fact.  
> Meanwhile, Jack has a friend of his own to check on.

“Is this it, Sandy?” Jack asked quietly as the sleigh neared a building.

Sandy nodded and floated out, heading towards the window. The others followed as the small Guardian peaked inside. The others did the same.

“That’s her?” Tooth asked for confirmation.

Sandy gave another nod. The Guardian looked towards the others and gestured towards the window, then formed a question mark out of sand.

North nodded. “Yes, I think we should get closer look at this girl.” He said as he began to open the window.

Once it was open everyone filed in. The group quietly approached your bed.

“She’s really pretty.” Tooth said with a smile.

“Yeah, she is.” Jack muttered. “Do you think that’s why Pitch is interested in her?”

Bunny shook his head. “No way. Pitch would never be interested in a partner, let alone a human one!”

Jack glared at him. “What’s wrong with having a human partner?”

Bunny held his hands up. “Hey, mate, that’s not what I meant. Pitch just wouldn’t be interested!” He returned the glare. “And you shouldn’t be either. We’re immortal. Dating a human will lead to nothin’ but heartbreak.”

The winter spirit blushed. “I never said _I_ was interested!” He said defensively.

As they argued, Sandy turned to look at you when he heard some fearful moans. He frowned when he noticed you were tossing and turning restlessly. _She’s having a nightmare._ He felt a pang of sympathy as you let out a whimper of fear, and he began to form a small pile of dream sand in his hand. The others stopped and turned when they heard the soft twinkling of the sand. Tooth placed a hand over her heart as your nightmare seemed to increase. Before it got too much worse, Sandy gently blew on the sand, and it flew from his hand and fluttered softly onto you, you settling almost instantly as small sand figures of you playing with a dog appeared above your head. Sandy gave a small smile as you hummed happily, your nightmare chased away.

“So what are we going to do about this woman?” Bunny asked, leaning on the wall.

“Well if Pitch is interested in her we should at least keep an eye on her for a little while.” Jack suggested. “Make sure she’s safe.”

North nodded in agreement. “That sounds fine.” He turned to Sandy. “Sandy, you can check on her at the end of your shift here, yes?”

The Sandman gave a confident smile and two thumbs up.

North grinned and crossed his arms. “It is settled then. Sandy will check on girl and let us know if he sees any more sign of Pitch.”

Everyone nodded in agreement and began heading for the sleigh, Sandy staying a little longer. He looked you over worriedly before sighing and jumping into the sleigh with the others.

 

Sandy’s dream sand returned to the Guardian as it finished with its job below. Once it disappeared, the small man sat upon his cloud of sand and watched your building for a few minutes. After a while and nothing happened, Sandy sighed before floating closer, peeking through your window. He frowned when he saw you tossing and turning. _She’s having a nightmare again._ The Sandman wasted no time in ordering a strand of dream sand to float through your window. It began floating above your head, and you settled down, a smile forming on your face. The strand of sand dissipated, leaving just the sand figures of you dancing with a small child above your head. Sandy smiled as the sand you picked up the child and hugged it tightly. He watched you for a few moments.

The Guardian of Dreams frowned as the two sand figures returned to their dance. _Why her? She seems so…normal. Of course, you don’t really see much of a person when they’re asleep._ His eyes widened. _Unless…_

Sandy slowly opened your window and floated inside. He quietly approached your side, and carefully reached his hand for your dream.

He stopped.

Sandy shook his head. _This is an invasion of privacy. I have no right to explore her dream just to learn more about her. Her dreams are her own. I only need to know what is visible. I don’t need details._

The Sandman sighed and retreated for the window. He stopped when he noticed a book on your desk. Curious, he leaned forward and read the title.

_Jack Frost and Other Fairytales_

Sandy chuckled to himself. Seems you heard kids talking about Jack Frost and got interested. Still curious, Sandy opened to the table of contents, wanting to know what other fairytales were inside.

_Santa Claus and His Elves_

The yetis wouldn’t be happy to hear they weren’t included.

_The Easter Bunny and the Terrible Storm_

Sandy giggled. That wasn’t a fairytale.

_The Tooth Fairy and the Teeth_

Not very original, but gets to the point.

_Jack Frost and the Great Blizzard_

Sandy chuckled silently as he saw all his friends, along with a few other miscellaneous creatures such as the Leprechaun and Cupid, were all included. He continued to scroll through the chapters, and a wide grin appeared on his face.

_Sandman: The Protector of Dreams_

Sandy couldn’t help but puff his chest out in pride. He turned to his chapter and skimmed through it. It mostly talked about how the Sandman fought off nightmares and delivered dreams to all the boys and girls. Sandy nodded, impressed at how much was accurate. Of course no one would know that he _literally_ fights off nightmares, but hey. Can’t blame them for something they can’t know. As Sandy finished off the chapter he was about to close the book when he noticed whose chapter was next.

_The Boogeyman: A Living Nightmare_

What was more was that this chapter was both bookmarked and dog-eared. As Sandy flipped through the pages, he could see that they were much more well loved then any of the other pages, as if you had re-read this chapter many times. Sandy turned to look at your sleeping figure. _Why is she interested in Pitch?_ The urge to enter your dream intensified, but Sandy shook his head and closed the book, carefully setting it back down on your desk. He gave you one more curious, concerned look before floating through your window, closing it behind him.

Sandy floated to his cloud and started to fly to his next destination, but stopped, and turned his cloud towards your building. He instead stayed and waited, deciding to stay for a little while to make sure nothing bad happened.

After an hour had passed and Sandy was satisfied you were safe, he transformed his cloud into a car and zoomed off.

 

Pitch had tried to return, but as he neared your window, he saw a faint flash of gold and grimaced. “Sandman.” He muttered darkly. The Boogeyman peeked into the window to see Sandy standing beside your bed, a happy dream floating above your head. Pitch cursed. A happy dream is no fun. Sure he could always manipulate it, but a natural nightmare is much more interesting. He would just have to come back later.

And he did. He returned to your building the next day only to be greeted to the Sandman outside of your window.

 Pitch narrowed his eyes. “This can’t be a coincidence.” He murmured. He sighed as it struck him. “They’re watching her. Of course. Sandman must have seen me that night. Brilliant.”

He was quiet for a moment before a smirk slowly spread on his lips. “This can be easily fixed.” He chuckled as he watched Sandy return to his cloud. “I just need to return earlier then Sandy arrives.”

With a dark chuckle, Pitch disappeared into the shadows.

 

On his second night of watching you, Sandy was relieved to find you were not having a nightmare. He smiled as he watched you sleep peacefully.

It was strange. He knew nothing about you, other than you were interested in fairytales and fables, but Sandy was starting to really care about you. Not in a romantic way, of course. He just felt the same protectiveness towards you he did towards the children.

Sandy started to move away from the window, but hesitated. Even though you weren’t having a bad dream, a little dream sand always helped to keep it that way. He bit his lip before sighing, sending in some dream sand to keep your dream happy. As the sand circled above your head, Sandy moved away from the window and headed for his cloud. He sat and waited an hour like last time, keeping vigilant watch over your town.

 

After a few nights and no news from anyone about Pitch, Jack began to worry and headed off to Burgess, having someone of his own to check on.

Jack landed gracefully on top of Jamie Bennett’s house and peeked into his window as his mother kissed him on the forehead and told him goodnight, turning off the lights and closing the door behind her.

Before Jamie could get too comfortable and doze off, Jack quietly opened the window and snuck in. The Guardian of Fun smiled at the tired kid lying in his bed. Jack took his staff and gently poked the boy. Jamie’s eyes flew open and he shot up in bed, his head snapping towards Jack. A wide grin spread on his face as Jamie flew out of bed and ran towards the winter spirit, embracing him in a giant hug.

“Jack!” Jamie exclaimed happily.

Jack laughed and leaned down to pull the kid into a hug. “Hey, Jamie. Miss me?”

Jamie pulled away and nodded. “Where have you been?! _How_ have you been?! How have the others been? What about Pitch? Is he still-“

“Whoa, whoa, slow down there kid.” Jack chuckled. “I’ve been good, been busy making snow days while it’s still the season and bringing fun to kids all over the world. The others are good, too. Haven’t changed much. Tooth’s still motherly yet strange, North’s still fatherly yet strange, Bunny’s still no fun, and Sandy’s still Sandy. After Tooth was finished murdering him with hugs telling him never to die again and North nearly broke his back with a bear hug, he went right back to being the quiet little guy we all know and love.”

Jamie giggled happily at hearing all his childhood heroes were still the same.

Jack frowned. “However…”

Jamie stopped laughing.

“Sandy told us he saw Pitch watching this girl. So he’s back.”

Jamie’s eyes widened. “Oh no.” He muttered. “What are we gonna do? Is the girl ok?!”

Jack gave him a reassuring smile. “The girl’s fine. We have Sandy watching over her, so she’s in great hands.”

Jamie let out a sigh of relief.

“He’s also going to let us know if he sees Pitch again.” Jack continued.

“You mean you guys aren’t going to look for him?” Jamie questioned.

“We’re keeping our eyes out, but we’re all very busy. North only has a few months to prepare for Christmas, I have to give snow to everyone, and Tooth is always busy. The only two that are free are Sandy and Bunny, and ‘free’ is a loose term with Sandy. He still has to take care of the children every night, though luckily he doesn’t have as tight a deadline as Tooth does. And Bunny, well…he does go out looking for Pitch, but there’s only so much one guy can do on his own.” Jack pat Jamie on the back and gave him a reassuring smile. “But I promise you, Pitch will not lay a finger on you. Alright?”

Jamie forced a smile. “I trust you, Jack.” He told his friend. “But I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about the girl.”

Jack chuckled and ruffled the kid’s hair. “I told you, the girl’s fine. We won’t let anything happen to her.” He pulled Jamie into a hug. “Or to you.”

Jamie sighed and hugged Jack back. “Is there anything I can do to help?” He asked.

Jack shook his head sadly. “I’m afraid this is Guardian business. But!” He continued quickly when Jamie frowned. “You let me know if you see anything out of the ordinary, alright? I’m leaving Burgess’ safety in your hands.”

Jamie immediately perked up and nodded, before narrowing his eyebrows in confusion. “But…how can I contact you if I do find something?”

Jack thought for a moment, leaning on his staff, before he smiled. “I have an idea.” He started. “If all goes according to plan, I’ll have a present for you tomorrow.”

Jamie’s eyes widened. “Ooo, what is it!”

Jack chuckled. “Ah, ah, ah! It’s a surprise.”

Jamie frowned. “You’re no fun.” He pouted.

 Jack smirked and raised an eyebrow. “Excuse you?” He challenged. “You’re talking to the _Guardian_ of Fun! I _invented_ fun!”

Jamie giggled. “Then why are you such a party pooper?”

Jack’s smirk widened as he leaned out of Jamie’s window and scooped some snow from the roof, forming it into a ball. “I’m gonna make you eat those words.”

Jamie barely had any time to react before the snowball hit him directly in the face.


	3. The Start of Many Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pitch returns to visit you, and he learns your greatest fears.  
> Jack gives Jamie a little gift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been on a Rise of the Guardians kick lately. Damn I love this movie.

Pitch returned again the next night just as you were getting into bed. He watched as you pulled back the covers and slipped into your bed, pulling the sheets over yourself. He waited a few moments until he saw the faint rise and fall of your chest, indicating you had fallen asleep.

Pitch smirked and carefully opened the window before quietly entering through it. He closed your window and approached your bed. He looked down at you as you slept. Because you had just gone to sleep, it was too early for any signs of a nightmare such as restless movements or heavy breathing. Pitch reached for your forehead anyway, deciding to take the chance.

When he appeared in your dream, he was disappointed to find out it wasn’t a nightmare. He watched from the shadows as you sat in a field of flowers, a smile on your face while you picked the plants.

Pitch scoffed and rolled his eyes. “How lovely.” He commented dryly.

He watched you for a few more moments before growing bored and slowly making his way towards you.

So much for a natural nightmare.

 

You were completely unaware of any other presence as you happily picked flowers and placed them in a pile. You stopped when you began to reach for a flower only to find shadows slowly engulfing the area around you. When the shadows reached the flower you were reaching for, it wilted. You gasped and jumped up as the flowers around you began to die, the shadows growing closer to you. You franticly looked around, but saw only shadows. As you started to panic, you heard a dark chuckle.

“Did you miss me?”

You shivered at the voice before slowly turning towards it, freezing when you saw the piercing yellow eyes and Cheshire smile.

“I know it’s been a day or two since my last visit.” The shadow continued. “But I couldn’t visit you just once.”

You only stared, your heart racing.

The grin turned into a smirk. “You’re frightened of me.”

Your eyes widened and you quickly shook your head. “N-no! I-I’m not!” You insisted.

He laughed. “No use hiding it, my dear.” He cooed. “I know your fears. And I’m flattered, really.” He took a step towards you, the rest of his figure finally becoming clear to you.

You saw a tall, slim man in a long black cloak of sorts with pale gray skin and pitch black hair. And those yellow eyes…

“W-who are you?” You demanded shakily.

His smirk widened. “Why, you know who I am, dear. You even spoke my name.” He gave a faux frown. “Or have you forgotten me already?”

You blinked. “It really is you…” You muttered. “The Boogeyman.”

His face seemed to give off a sign of…relief? But it was gone as soon as you noticed it.

“So you do believe in me.” He commented.

You were quiet for a moment. “I…I guess?” You answered.

He raised an eyebrow at you. “Why?”

 “Uh…I-I don’t k-know…” You stammered, backing further into the shadows. “I’ve always believed in Santa and the Easter Bunny. A-and recently I-I decided that if nice things can exist, then why can’t the bad things, like the Boogeyman?” Your eyes widened. “N-not that y-your bad, or anything!” You said hurriedly.

He didn’t respond, though your nervousness did amuse him. “You believe in Santa Claus?” He asked.

You nodded hesitantly.

“Who else do you believe in?” He demanded, taking a step towards you.

You cowered away. “Um…the Tooth Fairy, Sandman, the Easter Bunny, Jack Frost…a-and others.” You answered timidly.

He grimaced. “I should’ve known.” He murmured. “What are the chances of her believing in me and _not_ them?”

You tilted your head. “Wh-what?”

He only shook his head, a grin reappearing on it. “How rude of me.” He started. “I don’t even know your name.”

You hesitated for a moment.  “Y-Y/N.” You whispered.

He nodded. “Interesting. As for me, you may call me Pitch. Boogeyman is much too formal.”

“P-Pitch?” You repeated.

He smirked. “Yes. It is my real name. I feel you should have something to call me other than ‘Boogeyman.’” He grimaced at the name. His grin returned. “Besides. I believe I will be seeing much more of you.”

He started to disappear, but before he did, he turned to you. “Oh, and I’m terribly sorry about your dream.” He said blankly. “A consequence of my visits is that any dream you have will be turned into a nightmare.” He smirked as he said this, but it quickly turned into a scowl. “But don’t worry. Someone will be coming along soon to make your dream happy again.”

And without another word, he disappeared into the shadows.

 

Sandy arrived a few hours later. After finishing taking care of the children, he floated down to your window. He frowned when he noticed you were having a nightmare. The small man immediately sent in a strand of dream sand, calming you down instantly. Satisfied you were safe, he went back to his cloud and waited an hour like before.

 

Jack landed in the Tooth Palace and looked up at a column, seeing a very busy Tooth. He chuckled as she chattered on to her fairies about teeth, sending them off to collect them.

Jack was about to approach the fairy when he was noticed by Baby Tooth. The small creature chirped happily and flew over to the winter spirit, nuzzling his cheek. Jack laughed and held out his hand, Baby Tooth sitting on it. “Hey there, Baby Tooth.” Jack greeted her with a smile.

It was about that time Tooth heard the commotion and turned around. A wide smile spread on her face when she saw the scene. “Jack!” She exclaimed, flying over to him and hugging him. “What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”

Jack shook his head. “No, no, nothing’s wrong.” He assured her. “I just wanted to ask a favor.”

Tooth smiled. “Of course, Jack. What do you need?”

Jack glanced down at Baby Tooth. “Do you think I could…borrow…Baby Tooth?” He asked.

Tooth raised an eyebrow. “Borrow Baby Tooth?” She repeated. “Why?”

“Well, because of this whole Pitch returning stuff, I went to check on Jamie.” Jack explained, gently petting Baby Tooth with a finger. “And after a little talk, I left him in charge of keeping watch over Burgess. The only problem is he needs some way of contacting me if he does notice anything suspicious.”

“So you were thinking of letting him borrow Baby Tooth so she could fly to you if anything out of the ordinary happens.” Tooth finished.

Jack nodded. “Yeah, pretty much.”

Tooth hovered there for a moment before turning to Baby Tooth. “What do you think?” She asked the small fairy. “Would you be alright with being with Jamie for a little while?”

Baby Tooth cheeped happily and nodded.

Tooth chuckled. “Well, if Baby Tooth is alright with it, then I guess its fine.” She said.

Jack beamed. “Great!” He exclaimed. “Thanks a bunch, Tooth!” Jack began to leave before Tooth called to him.

“Jack, wait!” The Guardian of Fun stopped. “You’ve been around Baby Tooth for a while now, so you can understand her a little better, but Jamie won’t be able to.” She pointed out.

Jack leaned on his staff. “That’s a good point.” He muttered. “You have a way to fix that?”

Tooth nodded before turning around and flying to the column beside them. Jack followed her, and watched as she reached into a cabinet and pulled out a small bag about half of Baby Tooth’s size. Tooth turned around and handed the satchel to the small fairy.

Jack narrowed his eyes curiously. “What’s that?” He asked.

Tooth looked up at him. “Oh, that’s just some fairy dust.” She explained. "It has many magical properties. Baby Tooth can use it to allow Jamie to understand her.”

Jack smirked. “You mean fairy dust is real?” He snickered.

Tooth chuckled with him. “It’s a mix of my own magic and a touch of Sandy’s dream sand.” She told him with a smile. “I use to use it to put children who tried to stay up to see me asleep. I haven’t had to use any of it in a long time.”

Jack nodded. “So Jamie should be able to understand Baby Tooth now?”

Tooth nodded in confirmation.

Jack gave a wide grin. “Great!” He turned to leave again and held out his hand. “Come on, Baby Tooth!”

The fairy waved goodbye to Tooth before excitedly settling on Jack’s hand. The winter spirit then set her carefully inside his hood before taking off, leaving Tooth to continue with her work.

 

“Goodnight, Jamie.”

“Goodnight, Mom.”

Jamie laid in his bed as his mother closed the door, but the moment it shut, he sat back up. He looked at his window impatiently.

About five minutes later, he saw his window creak open. He smiled as he saw the familiar figure of Jack Frost. Jamie got out of bed and ran up to him.

“What’s my surprise?!” He demanded.

Jack laughed, a smirk on his face. “Well, hello to you too, Jamie.”

Jamie giggled. “Hello. What’s my surprise?” He reworded himself.

Jack shook his head with a smirk before reaching into his hood and pulling out Baby Tooth. Jamie looked at her quizzically.

“Baby Tooth?”

The fairy chirped in response.

Jamie turned to ask Jack a question, but as he did, he suddenly felt a tiny puff of sand hit him in his face. He blinked a few times before turning back to Baby Tooth, who had a small bag in her hands.

“Did…did you throw sand at me?” He asked.

“It’s actually fairy dust.” Baby Tooth corrected.

Jamie’s eyes widened. “I can understand you!?” He exclaimed.

Baby Tooth giggled while Jack turned to the confused boy.

“This is how you’ll keep in touch with me.” He explained. “If you see something strange, tell Baby Tooth, and she’ll come and get me. Got it?”

After the shock had worn off, a determined look came over Jamie’s face, and he nodded. “Got it.”

Jack grinned and ruffled the boy’s hair. “Good. Well, I’m off!” Jack began to climb out the window. “See ya, Jamie! Take care of Baby Tooth!”

“I will!” Jamie called as his friend flew away.

 

Pitch visited the same way the next night. Again it was a good dream, but at this point he didn’t really care. He was more interested in you. So he decided to try something before he made himself known.

He hid in the shadows of your dream, a hallway. You were walking down it with a boy. The two of you were holding hands. Pitch had to keep himself from gagging. As you walked, he searched through your fears.

_The dark. Heights. Snakes. Spiders. The Boogeyman._ (Pitch smirked at that one) _Abandonment. Rejection. Isolation._

_Being forgotten._

Pitch stopped for a moment at that. It seems the two of you were more alike than he thought.

He shook his head and looked at the scene in front of him. The boy was leaning in for a kiss. Pitch smirked before sending a small strand of nightmare sand over towards the boy. When it touched him, he stopped. His figure quickly turned dark.

 

You opened your eyes when you felt the boy stop moving. You watched as he smirked, and let out a dark chuckle.

“Did you really think I would want to kiss someone like _you?_ ” He sneered.

Your eyes widened, and you took a few steps back. “I-I don’t understand.” You stammered.

The corrupted boy laughed. “No? You don’t understand how someone as pathetic as you could never be loved by someone else?” He walked towards you. “You are nothing but a wimp. A crybaby. You’re pathetic. You’ll always be alone.”

You continued to back away until your back hit a wall.

“What’s more is that no one actually cares about you.” The boy continued.

“Stop it…” You whimpered.

“All of your ‘friends’? They would leave you to die in a moment’s notice.”

You covered your ears, tears beginning to fall. “Stop it.”

“Any boy who claims to have interest in you does it either out of pity, or for a dare.” The boy leaned close to your face. “You will die alone, forgotten about.”

“STOP IT!” You screamed, tears streaming down your cheeks now.

 

It was at this point Pitch decided enough was enough, and dismissed the nightmare sand. When he did, the boy disappeared completely. You didn’t seem to even notice, having curled into a ball.

“Scary, isn’t it?”

You jumped at the sound of Pitch’s voice. You looked up as the Boogeyman slowly approached you, coming out from the shadows.

“Your greatest fears? Having them voiced.” He continued. “When they’re in your head, you feel as if you have some control. Maybe I’m over thinking things, maybe this isn’t really this way. But when they get confirmed… That’s true terror.”

You watched him as he came to a stop a few feet in front of you. You wiped your eyes before you spoke. “W-why are you back?”

Pitch smiled. “Why, I wanted to see you again, of course!” He told you. “You’ve piqued my interest, Y/N, and I wish to know as much about you as I can.”

 You placed your head in your lap. “I don’t wish the same.” You mumbled.

Pitch chuckled at this and continued. “Regardless, you won’t be getting rid of me anytime soon.” He said this in a tone that was both kind but threatening at the same time.

You shivered at this tone. “Great.” You muttered.

Pitch watched you for a moment before shaking his head and retreating into this shadows. “See you tomorrow, Y/N.”


	4. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sandy finally figures out that Pitch has been arriving earlier than he has. Knowing this, he and the other Guardians decide to ambush him.  
> You get closer to the Boogeyman.  
> ...  
> Sorta.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIVE! I'm not dead I swear! I hope you enjoy even though its been forever since the last chapter!

The next few nights were the same. Sandy would finish delivering dreams, check on you, find you were having a nightmare, and send some dream sand your way. After about two weeks straight of this happening, Sandy became worried. Why were you having nightmares every night? So the next time he visited you, after chasing away your nightmare, he quietly snuck into your room. He watched you for a few moments before turning to your desk where the book had been that first night. It was still there. Sandy picked the book up and flipped to the bookmarked chapter. But to his surprise, the chapter bookmarked was no longer the Boogeyman’s, but instead the Guardian of Dreams’. This chapters pages were now as worn as Pitch’s. Sandy narrowed his eyes as he placed the book back down. As he did, he noticed multiple other books on your desk. Leaning over, he read the titles.

          _The Origin of the Sandman_

_Ole Lukoie_

_The Sandman_

_The Legend of the Sandman: How Good Dreams Come to Be_

_Fairytales and How They Work_

That book had a bookmark in it. Sandy picked it up and flipped to the chapter.

          _Sandman_

Sandy placed the book back down and turned to you. First you were interested in Pitch, now him? Granted it could be because your nightmares have miraculously been chased away every night, and you were already interested in “fairytales.” But still.

Sandy watched you for a few more moments. You puzzled him. You were interested in fairytales, Pitch, and now Sandy himself. Not to mention you’ve been having nightmares every night since he’s been watching you. And he hasn’t even seen Pitch-

Sandy stopped. Could it be? Is it possible Pitch has been visiting you earlier than Sandy has been arriving? Sandy silently cursed himself for being so stupid. It’s been nearly two weeks and no activity from Pitch? Of course he had found another way.

Sandy quickly exited your room, closing the window behind him. This time he didn’t stay an hour. If he was correct, and he was positive he was, there was no need.

Tomorrow he would change up his route.

 

Meanwhile during these two weeks Pitch had indeed been visiting you. Most of the time he kept his presence hidden, though you knew he was there. It was obvious once your previously happy dream became the epitome of your greatest fears. It only lasted at most three hours, but for you it felt like days.

There were sometimes, however, where Pitch would simply interrupt your dream just to talk to you. You preferred those nights. Pitch still frightened the hell out of you, but it was better than facing your darkest fears.

Tonight was one of those nights.

You had grown used to the pattern of your happy dream being interrupted, so it didn’t surprise you anymore when you felt the familiar shadows envelop the area around you. You did relax, however, because you knew this meant Pitch simply wanted to talk, instead of twisting whatever you were dreaming about to scare you.

“Hello, Pitch.”

You heard a chuckle.

“Hello, Y/N.”

The Boogeyman became visible to you, his hands behind his back as he approached. “You seem to have warmed up to me.” He commented.

You scoffed. “Hardly. You still scare the absolute shit out of me.”

Pitch laughed. “Well I wouldn’t be doing my job correctly if I didn’t, now would I?” He pointed out with a smirk.

You sighed. “I suppose not.” You muttered. “But why can’t you scare someone else? Like a child like you’re supposed to.”

Pitch raised an eyebrow. “You would rather me scare an innocent child than you? I thought you loved children.”

Pitch had walked in on many a dream of you playing or talking with children. So the assumption was valid.

You sighed and bowed your head. “I…I do.” You murmured. “And I don’t want anyone to have these terrible nightmares, especially not children. I’m just tired of having them myself.” You sat on the ground before looking up at him, a tired look on your face. “Every night, I get reminded of what I fear most. Of what I hope never happens. And I don’t even know why me. Why you do this to _me._ ”

Pitch was quiet for a moment, analyzing you, before he spoke. “I suppose that’s a fair enough thing for me to answer after almost two weeks.” He walked closer to you. You no longer cringed away in fear. Pitch never hurt you himself, so there was really no need for that. Pitch sat beside you, a good foot or so away.

“You are the only one to believe in me.”

Your eyes widened at this. “You mean no children believe in the Boogeyman?” You questioned.

Pitch shook his head. “Not since the Dark Ages.” He raised an eyebrow. “Did _you_ believe in me when you were a child?”

You bit your lip and shook your head. “No.” You admitted.

“I thought not.”

The two of you were quiet for a while.

“You and I have the same fear, you know.” He said finally.

You narrowed your brow. “You mean _you_ have fears?”

Pitch laughed. “I have one, yes.” He looked at you. “To not be believed in.”

Your eyes widened.

“Granted the two of us mean it in different ways, but the similarity is still there.” He continued.

You only blinked. “Wow…” You murmured before looking up at him. “So if no one believes in you, do you stop existing?”

“I would think not, considering people haven’t believed in me in ages.” He answered. “It does prevent me from being seen, however.”

“So if I were to see you in the waking world, I would actually see you, but others wouldn’t?”

Pitch nodded. “Correct.”

“Wow.” You repeated. “I feel kinda…special now.” You chuckled. “In a weird way.”

Pitch smirked and returned the chuckle. “You are special.” He confirmed. “Finding an adult who believes in Fairytales is rare, and finding anyone that believes in me is almost impossible.” He was quiet for a moment. “Do you see now why I continue to visit you?”

You nodded. “Yeah. But I don’t see why you continue to scare me.”

Pitch frowned. “It’s my job.”

“You don’t have to scare me every night.” You argued.

“I don’t. I’m not scaring you now, am I?” He countered.

You rolled your eyes. “You’ve only done this like four times in the whole two weeks you’ve visited me.” You snapped.

Pitch narrowed his and stood, towering above you. “Enough.” He growled. “I am the Boogeyman! You may believe in me, but I will frighten you like I would anyone else.” He smirked. “Besides. Your nightmares are most interesting.”

You clenched your fists and swung at him. You hit nothing but air.

Pitch narrowed his eyes angrily before stepping backwards into the shadows. “You want to play it this way? Fine. Two can play at this game.” He said before melting into the shadows.

As he disappeared, the shadows began to form into all of your worst fears.

 

Sandy knocked anxiously on North’s office door. He swayed back and forth impatiently as he waited for the door to open. The moment it did, Sandy gave North no time to even say hello before forming a series of panicked signs above his head.

_A silhouette of Pitch, a window with a girl sleeping inside, Pitch outside said window, Pitch leaving and Sandy coming moments later, the girl having terrible nightmares._

North scratched the back of his head as he tried to understand the mute Guardian. “I don’t understand, old friend.” He told him. “You talk much too fast.”

Sandy sighed in annoyance and showed the images again, but slower.

_Pitch outside the girl’s window. He’s giving her nightmares. He gets there before I do._

North understood this time, and his eyes widened. “This is bad. Very bad.” He muttered.

Sandy nodded in agreement and created images of all the Guardians going to your window earlier, catching Pitch in the act.

North returned the nod. “Yes. If Pitch has been visiting this girl for two weeks now, she may be in much danger. I will notify the others right away. We leave as soon as the sun sets tomorrow.”

Sandy narrowed his eyes in determination and nodded once more before heading off, preparing for tomorrow night.

 

The Guardians flew quickly through the air in North’s sled. Jack was sitting on the back of the sleigh, looking over anxiously. Tooth was sitting beside Sandy, the two sharing worried looks. North was steering the reindeer. And Bunny was trying not to puke.

The group came to a stop not far from your window. They watched as you pulled back the covers and slid into bed, pulling them over you. They waited nervously for about twenty minutes until a shadowy figure approached your window, and snuck in.

Jack turned to the others. “There he is! Let’s go!”

With a nod, Sandy and Tooth followed the winter spirit as they flew quickly to your window, North flying the sleigh closer for him and Bunny.

Once they reached it, the three flying Guardians wasted no time jumping into your room.

This startled Pitch, who was just about to enter your dream. When he turned and saw the Guardians, he smirked and placed his hands behind his back. “Oh, if it isn’t my good friends. How have you been?” He turned to Jack. “Enjoying your time as a Guardian, Frost? Much more fun when people believe in you, isn’t it?”

Jack narrowed his eyes and pointed his staff at him threateningly as Bunny and North entered the room. “Whatever you’re doing with this girl is going to stop tonight, Pitch.” He said plainly.

Pitch turned to look at you. “What, this girl?” He snickered and turned back to the Guardians. “Why I’m not doing anything with her. Just visiting her nightmares is all.”

“And why her?” Bunny demanded.

Pitch ‘tsked’. “So demanding, Rabbit. I get bored, too. I just watch them for some entertainment is all.”

Sandy rolled his eyes, and a line of asterisks, pound signs and exclamation marks appeared above his head.

Pitch laughed. “Language, Sandy! Is it really so hard to believe I merely wanted entertainment?”

“But why her?” Jack asked the question again. “You’ve visited her for two weeks straight according to Sandy.”

Pitch glanced at you again. “No particular reason. I just find her dreams interesting.” He smirked at Sandy. “I think you would agree if you’d put down that stupid moral code of yours.”

The small guardian only narrowed his eyes.

North stepped past the others. “Your games end tonight, Pitch.” He told him. “You will visit this girl no more.”

Pitch laughed at North before shaking his head, a smirk still on his face. “No. That’s where you’re wrong. My games?” He began to slink into the shadows, and the Guardians rushed forward to try to stop him, but to no avail.

“Why, they’re only just beginning.”

Soon the Guardians were alone, with you sleeping peacefully in your bed.

Bunny growled in frustration and kicked at the ground. The others huddled around your bed worriedly.

“We can’t leave her here.” Jack said after a moment.

Both Tooth and Sandy nodded in agreement. “Yes. It’s too dangerous for her by herself.” The fairy said as she watched you.

Bunny stopped and turned to his friends. “Wait, you’re not suggesting bringing her to one of our hideouts, are you?” When they nodded the rabbit laughed sarcastically. “Oh, that’s a bloody brilliant idea! Let’s bring an adult woman to a place she has no idea about and where she has no way to talk to any of us for an explanation!”

The others were quiet for a while until Sandy stepped forward, looking up to Bunny stubbornly. He began to make images out of dream sand.

_The girl sleeping. Pitch coming every night. The girl in everlasting fear, having never ending, haunting nightmares. The girl never knowing anything good again; Not wonder, not fun…not hope._

The Guardian of Hope watched the small man for a moment before sighing and crossing his arms. “Alright, mate, fine. You’ve made your point.”

With a smug smile and a nod, Sandy turned back to you.

“Well, if we’re gonna take her with us, then let’s go.” Bunny said as he hopped into the sleigh.

Jack carefully picked you up and walked to the sleigh, getting in as well. Once everyone was inside, they headed back to the North Pole.

 

“What are we gonna do!?” Tooth exclaimed as she zipped worriedly around the workshop.

“What, about Pitch or about the girl?” Bunny asked, leaning against the wall.

“Both!” She replied with a glance towards you.

They had placed you on a couch nearby. Sandy was sitting beside you, keeping a worried eye on you.

“There has to be more to his story than what Pitch was saying.” Jack muttered from his position on the counter.

As the others murmured in agreement, Sandy sighed and looked from you to around the room. His eyes settled on the globe, and suddenly his eyes widened. He rushed over to the others and waved his arms and formed exclamations out of sand.

Jack was the first to notice him. “What’s wrong, Sandy?”

Once everyone was paying attention to him, the Guardian of Dreams flew over to the globe and pointed to the North Pole. Everyone gasped.

There, in the always lightless, child and belief free North Pole…

Was one singular yellow light.


	5. Companions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have awoken in front of the Guardians and they send you to Sandy's island for protection. You and a certain Guardian of Fun get to know each other.  
> At the same time, Pitch hasn't given up on you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight spoilers for Guardians of Childhood books, but only if you squint really hard.

The Guardians stared at the globe in shock.

“Is…is that her?” Tooth asked, looking towards you.

“It has to be.” Bunny answered, turning to you with the rest of the group. “It definitely isn’t one of us.”

After a moment Jack broke the silence. “Well that changes things, doesn’t it?”

 

After a while, the Guardians heard the sound of you yawning and moving around.

Bunny glanced at you before turning to the others. “She’s wakin’ up.” He told them, pushing himself off the wall he was leaning on.

The group watched as you sat up stretching. Once you blinked open your eyes, they widened as you realized you were no longer in your room. Your head darted around the room, and stopped dead when you noticed the Guardians. You stared at them for a moment as you took them in. After a moment your jaw dropped. “No way…” You muttered.

“Santa Claus…” The plump man grinned at you as you looked at him. “Easter Bunny…” Bunny gave an awkward smile. “Tooth Fairy…” Tooth giggled and waved. “Jack Frost…” Jack smirked and bowed.

You turned to the smallest Guardian. Sandy smiled and waved. Your lip quivered as you leapt from the couch and wrapped your arms around the Sandman tightly.

The small man froze, confused. He pat your back awkwardly, the others looking just as confused.

You gripped him tighter, tears pouring down your cheeks. “Sandman…Thank you…” You whispered. “Thank you so much…”

Sandy’s eyes widened before they softened in understanding and he returned the hug with a kind smile.

The others were still lost. “Thank you for what, Sandy?” Tooth asked.

Before the Guardian of Dreams could respond, you pulled away and wiped your tears. “For chasing away the Boogeyman.”

Jack’s eyes widened. “Wait…Miss-”

“Y/N.” You told him.

Jack smiled. “Y/N.” His concerned look returned.

“Do you believe in the Boogeyman?”

The others watched you intently, waiting for your answer.

You nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

The Guardians stood silently in shock.

“Well…we know why he visits her now.” Jack finally broke the silence.

You frowned at the mention of the visits. “You…you can stop those, right? For good?” You asked.

North gave you a reassuring smile and pat your back, jostling you a bit. “Don’t you worry, girl. Pitch can’t reach you here.”

You breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Santa.”

The Guardians chuckled at that.

“Call me North.” He said with a grin. “That’s Tooth, he’s Bunny, he’s Sandy, and that’s Jack.” He told you, gesturing to each in turn.

You smiled at each of them and waved. “Hi.” Your smile turned smug. “I knew you were real.”

The group laughed.

 

_Damn! Damn, damn, damn! It was going so well!_

Pitch materialized in his hideout and ran his hand over his face, annoyed. “No doubt they’re going to keep a closer eye on her now.” He muttered. “I won’t be able to visit her nightmares any longer.” He ran his hand through his hair as he began pacing. “My real plan hadn’t even begun.” He sighed. He stopped in front of the broken globe. He raised an eyebrow when something caught his eye.

Using his Nightmare Sand he hovered to the top of the globe and examined the single light at the North Pole. An evil smirk crept onto his face.

“Oh, my friends.” He chuckled as he hovered back to the ground, continuing to look at the spot. “You just made this too easy for me.”

 

“Cookies and eggnog?” North offered you.

You smiled and nodded as the Guardian of Wonder happily handed you a small plate of assorted cookies and a glass of eggnog. “Thank you.” You said as you took a bite of a sugar cookie.

“Is no problem.” North replied.

“So… what are we gonna do?” Bunny asked with a glance towards you.

“We keep her away from Pitch for a start.” Jack said, leaning on his staff.

“Yeah…I’d like that.” You agreed.

Tooth looked at you worriedly. “What happened in those nightmares? You seem so afraid of him.”

You held your arms and looked down. “He…he made me live my worst fears…over and over…every night.”

The Guardians looked at each other. Bunny, Tooth, Sandy and North looked furious.

“Guess he’s not afraid to use the same trick twice, eh?” Bunny muttered.

Sandy’s eyes narrowed and his cheeks were puffed out angrily.

“Well this isn’t as bad as that time.” Tooth said.

North nodded in agreement, his arms folded. “Yes. We can prevent him from doing what he did to Katherine to her.”

Jack was the only Guardian to look confused along with you.

“Um, who’s Katherine?” He asked.

The others turned to him.

“Oh, she was little girl we knew when Man in Moon first formed Guardians.” North explained, a small smile appearing on his face. “She was a doll.”

“She was captured by Pitch and placed into a comatose sleep where he forced her to live a terrible nightmare over and over.” Tooth continued.

“We had no idea where she was, until Sandy and some bloke named Nightlight were able to get her out of there.”

You gasped and placed a hand over your mouth. “Do you think that’s what he wants to do to me?”

The Guardians shared an unsure glance between each other.

Sandy floated over to you with a determined yet kind look on his face. He gently pulled you into a hug and when he pulled away, he formed something out of the Dream Sand above his head.

_Nothing bad will happen to you. I promise._

It took you a moment to understand, not being used to his game of charades, but once you translated it, you relaxed and returned the smile. “Thanks, Sandy.”

He nodded reassuringly.

“Where is she going to stay?” Bunny asked. “If we keep ‘er here Pitch’ll find ‘er in no time.” He gestured to the globe.

“Honestly she’d be safest with you, Bunny.” Tooth commented.

Bunny’s eyes widened and he turned to her. “What?!”

“Yeah, Tooth’s right.” Jack agreed. “The Warren is well hidden from Pitch, probably the best hidden of everyone’s base.”

Bunnymund looked from each of his friends before his gaze landed on you. “He could easily go through the tunnels, mate!” He exclaimed.

Sensing the tension, you turned to the Guardians. “Actually…I was hoping I could stay with Sandy?” You asked, looking to the small man.

He looked surprised at this for a moment, but a smile crossed his lips.

“It’s just…I feel safer when he’s around.” You muttered.

The others thought for a moment.

“Hmm…” North thought, stroking his beard. “Your island is hard to find…Plus she can’t get nightmares on your island. And of all of us you can chase Pitch away the easiest.”

Sandy looked away awkwardly and gently touched his stomach.

Jack understood and chuckled quietly. “Well, most the time.”

You looked to Sandy concerned, but he just smiled and waved it off.

North clapped. “So it’s settled! Sandy will take you to his island, where you will stay while we try to figure out what to do about Pitch.”

You nodded and smiled at them. “Thank you. All of you.”

Tooth grinned and flittered over, pulling you into a hug. “No problem, sweetie!”

You chuckled and turned back to Sandy, and to your surprise, you saw a hot air balloon made of Dream Sand floating not far from you.

The Guardian of Dreams gestured you to get in, and you did so. Waving a good bye to the others, you set off.

 

Unsurprisingly, you felt quite sleepy during this journey, and even dozed off.

Sandy chuckled at your peacefully sleeping form as he steered the balloon. He let out a silent sigh. He looked over the side with a determined gaze. He wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you. At this point he felt responsible for you.

Not that he minded.

He liked you.  

He sighed again and shook his head.

A few moments later he spotted his island. With a grin he steered towards it and landed safely. He turned to you and summoned a cloud of Dream Sand to float you across his island. He floated you down onto a soft patch of sand, dissipating the cloud.

You let out a soft happy sigh as you placed your hands by your head and curled up.

Sandy covered his mouth with his hand and silently giggled.

“Aw, she’s kinda cute when she’s sleeping, isn’t she?”

Sandy jumped at the voice and created his whips, lashing them in its direction.

“Whoa!”

Sandy turned to the voice and relaxed when he saw Jack, his staff held out defensively with Sandy’s whips wrapped around it.

Sandy breathed a sigh of relief and dissipated his whips. Jack lowered his staff and chuckled slightly as Sandy crossed his arms, narrowed his eyes, and formed a question mark above his head.

Jack smirked. “Why am I here?”

Sandy nodded.

Jack shrugged and leaned on his staff. “I just wanted to check out your island. I’ve been to everyone else’s place but yours.”

Sandy raised an eyebrow.

Jack chuckled and raised his hands. “Alright, alright, you caught me.” He turned around and glanced at you. “I wanted to follow behind you guys, make sure nothing was following you.”

Sandy rolled his eyes with a grin.

“It wasn’t a complete lie, though.” Jack continued, looking away from you and to around the island. “I _am_ curious about the place.”

Sandy let out a silent laugh as he gestured for Jack to explore. At the same time he turned to you and bit his lip.

While it would take a _lot_ of Nightmare Sand to corrupt your dream while you were here on his island, he didn’t like leaving you out in the open like this. Forming another cloud of Dream Sand, he began to float you across the island and into a large dune. Once he reached a specific spot, the same spot he slept for quite some time, in fact, he gently floated you down and dissipated the cloud of sand again.

He looked down at your peaceful form for a moment, a happy smile on your face. Sandy smiled in return before furrowing his brow. He’d have to get to work soon. But he couldn’t just leave you…

A wide grin spread on his face before he turned and flew out of the dune to look for Jack.

 

Jack sat beside you, keeping watch like Sandy had asked. He had explained he _could_ work from here, but doing that took a lot of energy out of him. That and going town to town would give Sandy an opportunity to keep an eye out for Pitch.

The Winter Spirit glanced at you. He still couldn’t believe you actually… _believed_ in them!

His eyes narrowed.

He couldn’t believe you believed in _Pitch_.

Jack sighed and shook his head, turning from you.

“J…Jack?”

Jack’s head whipped back around to look at you as you sat up, rubbing your eyes sleepily. He gave you a large grin. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty.” He greeted you.

You returned his smile before breaking out into a yawn.

The Guardian of Fun chuckled. “Sleep well?”

You nodded. “Best sleep I’ve had in weeks.” You told him happily. “I didn’t have a single nightmare.”

“You won’t have to worry about nightmares as long as you’re on Sandy’s island.” He informed you.

You nodded before furrowing your brow. “Where _is_ Sandman, anyway?”

“He’s off giving kids a good night’s sleep.” He explained.

You nodded again. “I’m glad you didn’t leave me alone.” You said quietly.

Jack frowned and moved closer to you. “We wouldn’t dream of it.”

There was silence for a moment before the two of you fell onto your backs laughing.

Jack wiped a nonexistent tear away from his eye and smirked at you.

You returned it. “Nice one.”

“Thanks. You know how I come up with such great puns?”

You shook your head with a short laugh. “How?”

Jack burst out into a giant grin. “I sleep on it. They usually come to me in my dreams.”

The two of you fell back into hysterical laughter.

“You know.” Jack said after the two of you had calmed down. “It’s nice having someone who enjoys puns.”

You looked up at him. “None of the others like them?” You asked.

“Bunny certainly doesn’t. Tooth’s always too busy to listen, and the few I have told her she doesn’t seem interested in. North and Sandy like them, but North can drag it on too long and Sandy…” He glanced at you. “Well…I love the guy, but I’d prefer not having to play a game of charades to hear a pun.”

You nodded in understanding. “All of my friends just find them annoying. So…yeah. It’s good to have someone to share this with.”

The two of you sat in silence for a while, staring off into space.

After a while Jack turned to you when he heard a yawn. He chuckled. “Getting ready to go back to sleep already?”

You laughed tiredly. “I’m just…really sleepy.” You muttered.

Jack looked down to the sand you were both sitting on and picked some up, letting it run through his fingers. “Yeah…this would be why. The whole island is made of Dream Sand.”

You let out a sound that was a mixture of a yawn and a sigh.

Jack chuckled and shook his head. “Go back to sleep, Beauty.” He teased.

You rolled your eyes before lying down on your side. Letting out another yawn, you looked to Jack. “Don’t leave me, ok?” You told him.

His eyes widened for a minute at this, before he grinned and nodded. “Not even in your dreams.”

With a quiet laugh, you closed your eyes. A few moments later Jack heard your steady breathing, and smiled to himself before turning to look back up at the stars.

 

Pitch knew they wouldn’t keep you at the North Pole. Once they learned you were a believer, they’d make sure to keep you in a place off the globe.

They wouldn’t place you in Tooth Palace. He had easily invaded that place before. Rabbit’s home, while slightly better fortified, could be penetrated as well if Pitch really tried. Frost didn’t even have a base. At least as far as Pitch knew. If he did it would be somewhere in Burgess.

So that just left Sandman.

Pitch had learned that you were a kind and sensitive person. Because of that, it would only make sense if you felt some sort of kinship to the Guardian for “rescuing” you from your nightmares each night.

However.

Pitch had no idea where his base was. The most he knew about it was that it was an island, and it moved around constantly, so it wasn’t marked on any map or globe.

Because of this set back Pitch had his Nightmare Sand searching across the globe, either for the island or Sandy himself. At the moment he himself was scouring Burgess. Frost called this town home. Perhaps he or maybe even Sandman was around.

As he passed a particular house, he stopped. He recognized this house. Peering through a window, he smirked as he saw a certain little boy sitting on a bed.

“Jamie Bennett.” He sneered.

His eyes widened and he let out a snicker when he noticed a small little blur zip around the kid, coming to a stop on his shoulder. Once he saw it was Baby Tooth, his smirk widened, and he couldn’t help but laugh.

The two inside whipped their heads over to the sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like Jack would be one to love puns.


End file.
